Overhead door construction



Dec. 25, 1945. A v ROWE 2,391,845

OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION 7 Filed Jan. 10, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec; 25, 1945. A. v. ROWE OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 10, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ward flfizag 1 BY Wm amz Dec. 25, 1945. A. v. ROWE OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 10, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A. VQROWE OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 10, 1945 Dec. 25, 1945.

Patented Dec. 25, 1945 OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Alvin V. Rowe, Galesburg, Ill., assignor to Rowe Manufacturing Company, Galesburg, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 10, 1945, Serial No. 572,127

12 Claims.

in the manufacture of overhead doors for many' years, are not competitive with conventional wooden door structures because of th intricacies involved in the manufacture of metal doors. That is to say, the expense heretofore experienced in the manufacture of certain all-metal overhead doors, particularly those produced from sheet metal stock, very materially increases the ultimate sales price to the consumer. It has been the thought of providing a sheet metal overhead door construction approximating the cost of wooden doors that prompted the present invention. In fact, it is the primary object of the present invention toproduce a sheet metal overhead door structur capable of being sold ata price which is competitive with wooden doors and providing all of the advantages heretofore experienced in the use of metal doors as well as other advantages and conveniences.

More specifically, the present invention contemplates an overhead door construction in which the individual door sections slidable in guide-- ways or tracks between vertical and horizontal positions are of novel construction, and although formed from an elongated piece of relatively thin sheet metal stock, are unusually rigid and capable of withstanding the most severe operating conditions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a door arrangement as referred to above, wherein hingedly connected door sections are shiftable between upright and overhead positions, certain of said sections being formed from a single sheet of elongated metallic stock having a novel arrangement of upper and lower rails provided along opposite longitudinal margins.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an overhead door arrangement of the nature above referred to wherein not only the longitudinal margins of the single sheet f metallic stock are provided with rails, but also the opposite end margins of said stock are provided with a novel arrangement of end stiles.

The invention further contemplates an arrangement of hingedly connected door sections of sheet metal construction, wherein strengthening sheet metal muntins extend between the novel rail structures so as to materially enhance the door section both in appearance and strength.

, Generally speaking, the present invention contemplates an overhead door construction in'which the door sections are of metallic construction of relatively light weight-yet unusually strong and fire-resistant.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a door structure representing one embodiment of the present invention; r I

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of said door structure taken substantially along the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the intermediate sheet metal door sections as viewed from the front thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 3 viewing the door section from the rear thereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the corner portions of adjacent door sections within the vicinity of the dot and dash circle designated by the letter A in Fig. 4, the two sections being separated for the purpose of illustrating the parts which form the hinge sections;

Fig. dis a view'similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the door sections hingedly joined, dot and dash lines illustrating a section of track providing the guideway for the rollers;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 'l-I of Fig. 6, the upper door section being shown in full line closed position and dotted open position;

Fig. 8 is a detailed vertical sectional view of the roller, pintle and associated hinge structure taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 8 taken in the vicinity of the area enclosed within the dot and dash circle B of Fig. .4 to more clearly illustrate the manner in which a removable pin is employed as a hinge element; I

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Fig. 6 illustrating the upper portion of the uppermost door section and thelower portion ofthe lowermost door section when occupying their vertical door closing position;

11 is a view similar to Fig. 6 illustrating the manner inwhich an auxiliary hinge bracket.

may be bolted in position in instances where it is necessary to have the axis of the guide rollers spaced an appreciable distance from the plane of the door sections;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the left extremity of the door section illustrated in Fig. 3, with portions of the sheet metal parts detached to more clearly illustrate the structural arrangement:- of the. door sections;

Fig. 13'is a fragmentary perspective view taken substantially along the line I3l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentar sectional view similar to Fig. 13 disclosing the manner in-w-hich thelend stiles may be formed from the single elongated sheet by bending the stock laterally" fromboth sides of the plane of the stock; and

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 7 disclosing the adaptation of the invention in the production of door sections having relatively narrow rails as compared with the wider rails disclosed in. the other views.

Referring-now to. the drawings wherein. like. numerals have been employed. to designatesimilat parts throughout the. various. views .it. will be seen. that. one embodiment. of. the present in.- vention is. incorporated in a door structure having. a door designated. generallyby the numeral 28, Figs. 1. and 2.. The door 281 comprises. a plurality of. hingedly: connected door sections..22, 24, 28, and 28 constructed of. sheet. metal- Opposite ends of these door sections in the vicinity of the. hinged portions, thereof carry guide rollers 30 which are adapted toshit. within. guideways. or tracks 32.. These guideways 32have. vertical and horizontal sections connected. by. curved sections so that the door may be shifted. between the vertical door closing position asshownin F gs. I and 2 and an open overhead position- When the door sections 22-28 occupy the. closed. positions illustrated in Figs. 1. and. 2' they are preferably sealed against a door jamb 34 positioned along, the opposite ends thereof and a. header 36' .positioned. in the. vicinity of. the uppermost door. section.

Particular attention. is. directed. to the structure of .the. hingedly comiected door sections. In. Figs. 3. and Q the. doorsection 24. has been illustrated.. Figsand 6 the lower right-hand corner of the. door section 24 as. viewed-in Fig. 4. and. the adjacent upper right-hand corner of. the door section. 26.1are, illustrated. From these views it will be apparent. that the main body of thesedoor sections is formed from a single piece of elongated. sheet. metal stock- The elongated margin of. thisfsheet metal stock is bentlaterally and back upon itself to provide .door. rails- For purposes of identification with. .eacl'r section the uppermost rails aredesignated by the number corresponding with the door section coupledwith the letter 11. Thus the upper rail or the. door section 22 is. designated. by the. numeral 22-41 and the lower rail of. the section. 22 is designated by the numeral ..22bl Similarly the other upper and lower rails are designated as 2H,. 24 b.. etc.

In view of the. general similarity of the. rail structures. only the adjacent rails '24b and 28--a of the door. sections 24 and 2.6. respectively have been illustrated in detail in views 5-7 inclusive. The rail 24b is formed from the elongated metal sheet by bending the margin. later ally along the, line 38,. 5-7 inclusive, and thence back upon itself along the line 4-8 in sub-- stantial parallelism with. the main. body of. the door. section. The:- remainingmarginal portion is;

then bent laterally along the line 42 so as to enable a flange portion 44 to be welded to the main body 46 of the door section. This results in the formation of a rail of box-like cross section, or in other words of polygonal cross section. In the disclosed embodiment the stock is also formed to provide strengthening ribs 48 and also a rib 5D to accommodate a hinge sleeve 52.

The raill 26-11 provided along the upper elongated margin of the door section 26 is bent laterally along a line 54 and then slightly upwardly to provide a rib 56 which is complementary to the rib; 58. Continuing from the rib 56 the marginal stock is formed into a hinge sleeve or tube 58 which is complementary to the sleeve 52 on the door section 24.

The stock is bent downwardly in substantial parallelism with the. main or body portion 60 along the line 62 and is then bent laterally along the line 64 so as to bring a flange 66 into abutting relation with the. body 60.. This flange. 68 like the flange 44 is. preferably welded. to. the. main body of. the. door- It will also be. noted. that. a. portion of. the sheet metal stock isformed. to provide a longitudinal strengthening rib 68 corresponding with. the strengthening rib 48v of the door section 24; The tubular or. sleeve-like; hinge portion 58 is recessed at 10. to. receive. the tubular. or sleevelike hingemember 52.

Before. bringing. the tubular hinge portions 52 and. 58 into alignment, a. resilient. bushing 12 is inserted within. the tubular section 58 so as to cocupy the-position shown inFig. 8.. The. tendency for the bushing 12. to spring. outwardly establishes suflicient frictional engagement between the peri'phery ofthe bushing T2 and the. inner surface. of the hinge portion 58 so. as to retain the part 12 in position. The. hinge portions 52. and 58 may now be brought into alignment soasto occupy thepositions'illustratedinliigs. 6. and 8'.. A p-intle. sleeve or bushing I4. is now telescopically associated so as to occupy the. position. shown inFigs. 6 and 8. Ashoulder Ii limits the extent, to which thebushing, 1'4 maybe. inserted and tabg18 may be bent over to secure the. bushing against axial displacement. The periphery of the sleeve 14 provides the pivot for thehlnge portion 52, and the roller pintle may now be telescopically inserted within the complementary aperture 82 of the sleeve 14. This hinge structure is. duplicatedalon the opposite extremities of the door sections and hence a description of. one hinge structure will sufiice for all. In Fig. 7 the dotted. line position of the rail 24-h shows the manner in which said rail may 12'): pivoted with respect to the companion rail Intermediate portions of the tubular hinge structure 58. are recessed at 84 to accommodate complementary hinge sections 86, Figs. 3 and 9. When the tubular hinge sections 58 and 88 are positioned in. alignment, a hinge pin 88 may be inserted through a. recess. 90. A head on the pin 88. limits the. extent. to which it may be inserted, and abushing 92 is preferably mounted within the hinge. section 58 as clearly illustrated in Fi 9. Thisbushing provides-a bearing for the entering extremity of the pin 88. It. hasbeen found convenient and practical to-make these pins 88 01 non-metallic materials such as wood. thereby reducing to a minimum the noise in operation and at the same time providingv suflicient hinge strength- This. detachable hingepin construction materially facilitates th ease with which the door sections. may be installed on the job. It: will be apparent from the foregoing description that the invention contemplates a very practical and rigid arrangement of door sections formed from a single sheet of metallic stock in which the elongated margins are bent to form upper and lower door rails. These rails being of polygonal or box-like cross section, lend considerable lateral strength to the door section and provide convenient means for supporting hinge parts. contemplates a simple and extremely practical end stile construction which may best be understood from Figs. 12 and 13. In these figures a fragmentary perspective view of the door section 24 is shown. It has heretofore been explained how the upper and lower elongated margins of the main sheet metal stock or body 46 may be bent back upon themselves to provide upper and lower rails 24a and 24-h, respectively. It will be noted that end stiles 24c are provided by bending opposite end portions of the sheet metal stock 46 back upon themselves. The stock is first bent laterally alorg the line 94 and then along the line 96 in substantial parallelism with the plane of The invention also the door section and then along the line 98 lateral- 1y into association with the sheet metal stock. A flange I00 may be suitably secured as by welding to the main sheet metal body 46. To facilitate the ease with which bends may be made, the stock may be provided with spaced recesses I02. These end stiles lend considerable rigidity to the door section in the vicinity of the opposite extremities thereof. In instances where desirable an additional U-shaped plate I04 may be secured to the main body 46 as illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. This section I04 lends additional strength to the previously described endstile section formed integral with the main body 46. The section I04 also serves in the nature of an auxiliary end stile in cooperation with the section disposed on the opposite side of the sheet metal 46. In instances where desirable the auxiliary end stile section I04 may be dispensed with and the body portion 46 bent outwardly a sufficient amount to give the appearance of an end stile when the door is viewed from the front side thereof. The end stiles of the other door sections are indicated by the door section numeral with the letter c associated therewith, Separate pieces of sheet metal stock I06 and I08 as illustrated in Fig. 12, may be used to close the open extremities of the rails 24-a and 24b, respectively. I prefer to weld these parts in position.

To add additional strength as well as neat appearance to the door panels, a plurality of sheet metal muntins I I0 are provided. These members II!) are of channel-like cross section and extend between the door rails. Flanges along opposite longitudinal margins of the muntins Illl facilitate their attachment as by welding to the main sheet metal door body 46. The upper and lower extremities of the muntins H0 are also provided with flanges to facilitate attachment to the rails. The upper and lower margins of the door are preferably provided with non-metallic abutment or sealing sections I I2 and I I4, respectively, Fig. 10. The member H2 is supported along the upper margin of the uppermost door section 22 by bolts H6 which serve to clamp the member H2 between the open ended rail portions of the door section. Likewise the lower abutment or sealing member H4 is secured along the lower margin of the lowermost door section 28 by bolts II8 which similarly serve to clamp the member II4 between the metallic rail sections of the door. In some instances it may not be necessary to employ the non-metallic members H2- I expeditiously formed into rigid door rails.

H4, and in such installations the metal portion of the rail would extend completely across the door. It will be apparent that except for the optional use of the wooden pieces Il2--I I4, the above described door is of all-metal construction.

In some installations it is essential that the roller pintle be positioned rearwardly of the plane of the door sections to a greater extent than that disclosed in Fig. '7. To accommodate such conditions a hinge bracket I26, Fig. 11, may be employed. This bracket consists of a plate I22 adapted to be secured to the end stile of the door by any suitable fastening means or by welding. A laterally extending plate portion I24 provides a tubular hinge section I26 which corresponds structurally and functionally with the hinge section 58 previously described.

The metal door sections thus far described have been equipped with rails of substantial vertical width. There are instances where relatively narrow rails are desired, a rail of this design being illustrated in Fig. 15. It will be noted that the rail of Fig. 15 is formed by bending a smaller marginal portion of the sheet metal stock back upon itself. It will also be apparent that the vertical width of the door sections may be varied to suit any particular need incident to its use. There are installations which require door sections of greater vertical width than shown herein. This can be accomplished by forming the door sections from elongated sheet stock of greater width. As previously pointed out the end stiles may be formed by bending the material of the sheet stock laterally in opposite directions as illustrated in Fig. 14. By employing the arrangement disclosed in Fig. 14 the use of the auxiliary plate I04 may be dispensed with. It will also be apparent that the muntins are strengthened by forming them so that a portion of the muntin stock is positioned adjacent the main body of th door section and another portion spaced from the plane of said body. If required, wooden filler strips may be inserted within the area defined by the metal of the rails and end stiles.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention contemplates an overhead door arrangement which is of extremely simple, practical, and sturdy construction. By reason of the novel rail structure an elongated metallic sheet may be fed through forming and bending rollers. In this manner the opposite elongated margins of the sheet metal stock may be very Likewise the opposite end portions of the elongated stock may be bent laterally and back to provide the rigid end stiles. The rail, end stile, and muntin arrangement described herein not only may be formed at minimum expense but also secured together with a minimum amount of welding. The parts which enter into combination to provide a door section are relatively few in number and adapted for convenient attachment to each other. The door contemplated by the present invention is made up of a plurality of hingedly connected door sections which although constructed of metal, compare favorably in weight to wooden door sections. Hence no special design in the supporting track structure or counterbalancing springs need be employed for accommodating the metal door sections of the present invention.

.While for purposes of illustration certain structural embodiments have been illustrated in the drawings it will be apparent thatother modification and changes may be. made without. departing from the spirit and scope of' the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hilgedly connected door sections shiftable within said guiding means between upright. closed position and overhead open position, said door including a metal door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent back upon itself along its opposite elongated margins to present upperand lower section rails, and hinge means integral with said rails and forming counterparts for companion hinge means on the next adjacent door section.

2. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hingedlyconnected door sections shiftable within. said guiding means .between upright closed position and overhead open position, said door including; a metal door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet, opposite elongated margins. of said sheetbent. laterally of the sheet to provide elongated edge portions designed to abut complementary edge. portions of the near adjacent. section, and bent back upon the sheet to. provide portions spaced from the sheet, said edge and spaced portions combin ng to form upper and lower section rails, and hinge means carried by said rails, forming counterparts for companion hinge means on the next adjacent door section.

3. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hinged-1y connected door sections shiftable within said guidingmeans between upright closed position and overhead open position, said door including a metal door section formed from. an elongated metallic sheet bent back upon itself along its opposite elongated margins to present upper and lower section rails of a box like crosssection, and hinge means carried by said rails forming counterparts for companion hinge means on the next adjacent door section.

4. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hingedlyconnected door sections shiftable within said guiding means between upright closed position and overhead open position, said door including. a metal. door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent back upon itself along its opposite. elongated margins to present upper and lower section rails of polygonal cross section, and hinge means carried'iby said rails forming counterparts for companion hinge means on thenext adjacent door section.

5. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected door sections shiftable within said guiding means between upright closed position and overhead open position, said door including a metal door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent back upon itself along its opposite elongated margins, to present upper and lower section rails, hinge means carried by said rails, and sheet metal muntins superimposingand extending across said elongated" sheet. between said. rails to lend lateral support to said metallic sheet.

6. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and adoor comprising; a plurality-'01 hingedly connected door sections shiftablc withinsaid' guiding; means between upright closed position and overhead open position, said door including a metal door section, formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent; back upon itself along its opposite elongated margins to present upper and lower section rails, hinge means carried by said rails, and sheet metal muntins extending between said rails for strengthening said elongated sheet, a portion of said muntins being positioned in the. vicinity" of the plane: of said sheetand another portion being spaced from saidplane.

'7. Anoverhea-d door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door cuisine means, and a door comprisinga. plurality of hingedly connected door sections shiftable. within said guiding means between upright closed: position and overhead open position,. said door including a metal door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent. back upon itself along its opposite elongated, margins to present upper and lower section rails,v hinge means carried by said rails forming counterparts for companion hinge means on the next addacent. door section. the upper margin of the uppermost section of said door and the. lower margin of' the lowermost section of said door supporting nonmetallic sealing members.

8. An overhead door construction includin uprightond horizontally disposed; door guiding means, and a doorcomprising a plurality of hingedly connected door sections shiftable within said guiding means between upright closed position and overhead open position. saiddoor including a. metal door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent back-upon itself along its oppositev elongated margins to present upper and lower section rails, and hinge. means carried by said'rails forming counterparts for companion hinge means on the, next. adjacent door section, said hinge means including tubular sections positioned laterally of the rails and providing means at respective opposite ends of the door sections for accommodating the pintles of uide rollers.

9. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected door sections shiftable within said guiding means between upright closed position and overhead open position, said door including a metal door section formed from an elongated metallic sheet bent back upon itself along its opposite elongated margins to. present upper and lower section. rails, hinge means carried by said rails forming counterparts for companion hinge means-on the next adjacent door section, said hinge means including tubular sections positioned laterally of the rails, portions of said tubular sections intermediate the ends of the door sections being cooperatively aligned to receive a hinge pin, and a hinge pin associated with said intermediate portion of the tubular sections.

10. An overhead door construction including upright and horizontalydisposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected door sections shlftable within said guiding means between upright lo tion and overhead open position, said door including a sheet metal door section comprising an elongated sheet metal panel portion, an elongated sheet metal portion along the upper margin of said panel portion bent to provide an upper section rail, an elongated sheet metal portion along the lower margin of said panel portion bent to provide a lower section rail, and hinge means carried by said rails forming counterparts for companion hinge means on the next adjacent door section.

11. An overhead door construction as set forth in claim 10, including sheet metal muntins superimposing and traversing the elongated sheet metal panel portion and extending between the section rails to lend strength to the door section.

12. An overhead door construction includin upright and horizontally disposed door guiding means, and a door comprising a plurality of upper section rail, an elongated sheet metal portion along the lower margin of said panel portion bent to provide a lower section rail, a sheet metal portion along one end of said panel portion bent to provide an end stile, and another sheet metal portion along the opposite end of said panel portion bent to provide another end stile, and hinge means carried by said rails forming counterparts for companion hinge meanson A the next adjacent door section.

ALVIN V. ROWE. 

